Battery exchange station management system and network system including the same

Abstract

A battery exchange station (BSS) management system according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document may include: a connection module connected to a battery pack to monitor a state of the battery pack; and a software defined network (SDN) controller for managing a connection state between the battery pack and the connection module based on the data relating to the battery pack received from the connection module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0142194, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on October 23, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a battery swapping station management system and a network system including the battery swapping station management system. Background Technology

[0004] Recently, research and development on rechargeable batteries have been actively underway. Here, a rechargeable battery is a battery that can be charged and discharged, and this includes all conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries, as well as the more recent lithium-ion batteries. The advantage of lithium-ion batteries in rechargeable batteries is that their energy density is significantly higher than that of conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. Furthermore, because lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured to be small and lightweight, they are used as power sources for mobile devices, and with the application of batteries expanding to power electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries have recently attracted attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0005] As part of the services related to these secondary batteries, there are Battery Swapping Stations (BSS). Battery swapping stations provide users with the service of exchanging discharged batteries for charged ones. In many cases, battery swapping stations are installed as an add-on in existing buildings such as convenience stores, public institutions, etc., and it is necessary to provide users with information about each battery swapping station. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, a management system configured to manage battery swapping stations in real time and a network system including the management system are provided.

[0008] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to those mentioned above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other technical problems not mentioned based on the following description.

[0009] Technical solutions

[0010] A battery swapping station (BSS) management system according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may include: a connection module connected to a battery pack to monitor the status of the battery pack; and a software-defined networking (SDN) controller configured to manage the connection status between the battery pack and the connection module based on battery pack-related data received from the connection module.

[0011] According to the implementation method, the SDN controller can communicate with the connectivity module based on the Open Flow communication protocol.

[0012] According to one implementation, the connectivity module may include a sensor that monitors the battery pack based on a Linux operating system. The sensor may be configured to be virtualized as a virtual switch (OpenVSwitch) and perform network switching functions between the connectivity module and the SDN controller.

[0013] According to the implementation method, the SDN controller can shut down the connection of the sensor corresponding to the restricted connection module based on the connection status between the connection module and the battery pack.

[0014] According to the implementation method, the SDN controller can provide data related to the battery pack connected to the connectivity module to an external server.

[0015] According to the implementation, the data related to the battery pack may include data related to at least any of the following: whether the battery pack is connected, the number of times the battery pack is charged, the number of times the battery pack is rented, and the charging status of the battery pack.

[0016] According to the implementation method, the SDN controller can determine the priority of battery packs to be leased to users based on data related to the battery packs.

[0017] A network system according to embodiments disclosed in this document may include: a management system configured to manage the connection status between a battery swapping station (BSS) and battery packs connected to the BSS; and a cloud server configured to store battery pack-related data provided by the management system, wherein the management system may include a software-defined networking (SDN) controller.

[0018] According to the implementation method, the SDN controller can communicate with the connection module that connects the battery exchange station and the battery pack based on the Open Streaming Protocol.

[0019] According to one implementation, the connectivity module may include a sensor that monitors the battery pack based on a Linux operating system. The sensor may be configured to be virtualized as a virtual switch (OpenVSwitch) and perform network switching functions between the connectivity module and the SDN controller.

[0020] According to the implementation method, the SDN controller can, based on the connection status between the connection module and the battery pack, shut down the connection of the sensor corresponding to the restricted connection module, and provide data related to the battery pack connected to the connection module to the cloud server.

[0021] According to the implementation, the data related to the battery pack may include data related to at least any of the following: whether the battery pack is connected, the number of times the battery pack is charged, the number of times the battery pack is rented, and the charging status of the battery pack.

[0022] According to the implementation method, data related to the battery pack can be provided to the user through an application (APP) linked to a cloud server.

[0023] Beneficial effects

[0024] The battery swapping station management system according to the embodiments disclosed in this document can manage the battery swapping system in real time and communicate with the server.

[0025] The effects of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to those mentioned above, and those skilled in the art can clearly understand other effects not mentioned based on the disclosure in this document. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic view of a battery swapping station and its surrounding configuration according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a view used to illustrate a battery swapping station according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a view used to illustrate a network system according to the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a view used to illustrate a network system according to the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a view used to illustrate the management system according to the implementation methods disclosed in this document. Detailed Implementation

[0031] In the following, the embodiments disclosed in this document will be described in detail with reference to the exemplary accompanying drawings. When assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that, although similar components are shown in different drawings, similar reference numerals will be assigned to similar components whenever possible. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this document, detailed descriptions of relevant known configurations or functions will be omitted when it is determined that a specific description of a relevant known configuration or function would impede the understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0032] In describing components of the embodiments disclosed in this document, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended only to distinguish components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of components is not limited by these terms. Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. Unless expressly defined in this application, terms defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic view of a battery swapping station and its surrounding configuration according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0034] The battery exchange station (BSS) 10 can be configured to charge at least one battery pack (not shown) obtained from a user and to provide the user with the charged battery pack. In one embodiment, the battery exchange station 10 can be configured to charge the battery pack of a target device, such as an electric vehicle (EV) and / or an electric scooter, which has a removable battery pack.

[0035] According to the embodiments, the battery pack may include at least one battery module, and each battery module includes at least one battery cell. Here, the battery cell may be a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, a lithium-ion (Li-ion) polymer battery, a nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery, a nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0036] According to the implementation, the battery swapping station 10 can be set up and / or installed in a power supply facility. The battery swapping station 10 can receive power supplied from the facility via the power grid. For example, the battery swapping station 10 can be additionally installed in existing buildings such as convenience stores, public institutions, etc., to charge battery packs based on power supplied from the respective facility, and / or the battery swapping station 10 can be directly connected to a new renewable energy power plant to receive power.

[0037] Battery exchange station 10 can be connected to an external server. Here, the external server may include cloud server 1. According to an embodiment, battery exchange station 10 can be configured to connect to cloud server 1 via wired and / or wireless means to provide cloud server 10 with data related to the battery pack being charged by battery exchange station 10.

[0038] According to one implementation, data related to the battery pack stored in the cloud server 1 can be provided to users via a separate application linked to the cloud server 1. For example, the cloud server 1 can be configured to provide information related to the battery pack connected to the battery exchange station 10 to multiple users via user terminals such as personal computers (PCs) or smartphones.

[0039] According to the implementation, the data related to the battery pack may include data related to at least any of the following: whether the battery pack is connected to the battery exchange station 10, the number of times the battery pack is charged, the number of times the battery pack is rented, and the charging status of the battery pack.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a view used to illustrate a battery swapping station according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, and Figure 3 This is a view used to illustrate a network system according to the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0041] Reference Figure 2 The battery exchange station 10 may include multiple connection modules 110a to 110h and a controller 120, and refers to Figure 3 The network system 1000 may include a cloud server 1 and multiple battery exchange stations 10a to 10c interconnected with the cloud server 1. According to an embodiment, each of the battery exchange stations 10a to 10c is shown as having eight connection modules, but is not limited to this example. Furthermore, in Figure 3 The example shows that each of battery exchange stations 10a to 10c charges eight battery packs, but is not limited to this example, and each of battery exchange stations 10a to 10c can be configured to charge n battery packs (n is a natural number).

[0042] As mentioned above Figure 1 As described in the description, the battery exchange station 10 can be configured to charge at least one battery pack (not shown) obtained from a user and to provide the user with the charged battery pack. Here, the battery pack can be connected to each of the connection modules 110a to 110h for charging.

[0043] Each of the plurality of connection modules 110a to 110h may include at least one or more sensors 111. According to an embodiment, the sensor 111 may be configured to collect data relating to a battery pack (not shown) connected to the connection module 110a. For example, the sensor 111 may be configured to measure the temperature, voltage, current, etc. of the battery pack (not shown) connected to the connection module 110a, and / or communicate with the battery pack (not shown) via wired and / or wireless means.

[0044] According to the implementation method, sensor 111 can be a monitoring sensor that operates based on the Linux operating system.

[0045] Controller 120 can control the overall operation of battery swapping station 10. According to embodiments, controller 120 can be implemented as a device such as an industrial computer that controls the overall operation of battery swapping station 10, and controller 120 can be implemented as a software-defined network (SDN) controller (e.g., ONOS). Hereinafter, controller 120 is assumed to be an SDN controller.

[0046] According to the implementation method, the controller 120 can be connected to the cloud server 1 (see [link]). Figure 1 The controller 120 communicates with and / or multiple connection modules 110a to 110h. For example, the controller 120 may receive battery pack-related data collected from sensors included in the multiple connection modules 110a to 110h, and / or provide the received battery pack-related data to the cloud server 1.

[0047] According to the implementation, sensor 111 can be connected wired and / or wirelessly (e.g., LAN cable, WIFI, optical communication, SIM LTE, 5G).

[0048] According to one implementation, controller 120 can be configured to control sensor 111 operating on a Linux operating system. Here, controller 120 can communicate with multiple connection modules 110a to 110h based on the Open Stream Communication protocol to control the sensor included in each of the multiple connection modules 110a to 110h. The Open Stream Communication protocol can correspond to an SDN protocol, in which controller 120 defines the path of network packets through a switch network. That is, sensor 111 operating on a Linux operating system can be configured to be virtualized as a virtual switch (OpenVSwitch) and perform the function of a network switch between controller 120 and connection module 110a.

[0049] According to one embodiment, the controller 120 can control the connection of the connected module 110a to the battery pack (not shown) to shut down the sensor 111 corresponding to the connected module whose connection is restricted, based on the connection status between the connected module 110a and the battery pack (not shown). In this case, the connected module 110a whose connection is restricted and the battery pack connected to it may not be provided to the user. For example, the controller 120 may be configured to shut down the connection of the sensor corresponding to the connected module in a way that restricts the connection of the connected module in response to a fault state, or to shut down the connection of the sensor whose connection is restricted due to inspection, etc.

[0050] According to the implementation, each of the multiple connection modules 110a to 110h can be defined in various states based on the presence or absence of a connected battery pack, the charging state of the connected battery pack, and / or the state of the battery pack. For example, a normal state may correspond to a state where the battery pack is connected to the connection module and the battery pack is fully charged; a leased state may correspond to a state where the battery pack is provided to a user and the battery pack is not connected to the connection module; a fault state may correspond to a state where the battery pack is connected to the connection module but a fault occurs in the connection module and / or the battery pack connected to the connection module; and a charging state may correspond to a state where the battery pack is connected to the connection module but the battery pack is charging.

[0051] As an example of the various states described above, refer to Figure 3 The battery exchange station 10a may have the following states: two battery packs connected to the connection module and fully charged; two battery packs not connected to the connection module when they are provided to the user; and four connection modules and / or battery packs connected to the four connection modules in a faulty state.

[0052] Similarly, battery exchange station 10b can be in a state where eight battery packs are provided to the user and no battery pack is connected to any of the connection modules, and battery exchange station 10c can correspond to a state where the battery pack is connected to five connection modules but the battery pack is charging, a state where the battery pack is connected to one connection module and the battery pack is fully charged, a state where one battery pack is provided to the user and is not connected to a connection module, and a state where one connection module and / or the battery pack connected to one connection module is in a fault state.

[0053] Refer again Figure 2The controller 120 can be configured to provide battery pack rental priorities to multiple users. For example, the controller 120 can be configured to provide users who wish to receive battery packs from the battery exchange station 10 with a priority based on the aforementioned battery pack-related data, specifying which battery pack should be provided first. For example, the controller 120 can be configured to provide the same priority to multiple users by providing the cloud server 1 with battery pack-related data and a rental priority calculated based on the battery pack-related data.

[0054] For example, when controller 120 is based on connection to battery exchange station 10a (see...) Figure 3 When calculating rental priorities based on data related to the battery packs, the controller 120 can determine the priority for renting out the battery packs in normal condition among the multiple battery packs connected to the battery exchange station 10a to the user.

[0055] As another example, when controller 120 is based on connection to battery exchange station 10c (see...) Figure 3 When calculating rental priorities based on data related to the battery packs, controller 120 can determine the priority for renting out battery packs in normal condition among the multiple battery packs connected to battery exchange station 10c to users. Furthermore, when a battery pack in normal condition is rented to a user, controller 120 can consider the charging status of multiple battery packs currently charging to determine which battery pack is expected to reach normal condition first, so that it can be rented out next.

[0056] According to the implementation, the controller 120 can send data and status related to the battery pack connected to the connection module 110a to the cloud server 1 whenever the state of the connection module 110a changes.

[0057] In this implementation, the multiple battery exchange stations 10a to 10c may be located in different areas.

[0058] According to the implementation method, data stored in cloud server 1 can be provided to users through a separate application linked to cloud server 1 based on network function virtualization technology.

[0059] For example, a standalone application linked to cloud server 1 can provide the user with information about the location of nearby battery swapping stations based on the user's location information, and / or can provide the user with information about the status of multiple connection modules included in each of the multiple battery swapping stations near the user. Furthermore, the standalone application linked to cloud server 1 can provide the user with priorities calculated by controllers (not shown) included in the nearby battery swapping stations. Additionally, the standalone application linked to cloud server 1 can provide the user with configuration information included in the battery swapping stations, such as information related to faults in battery packs, sensors, SDN controllers, etc.

[0060] According to the implementation method, a standalone application linked to cloud server 1 can be configured to manage the network system and the controller 120 included in the network system (see [link]). Figure 2 ).

[0061] Figure 4 This is a view used to illustrate a network system according to the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0062] Reference Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the multiple layers that constitute the network system 1000.

[0063] The network system 1000 may include multiple layers (planes). According to an implementation, the network system 1000 may include a control plane, a data plane, and an application plane.

[0064] According to the implementation, the data plane may be associated with multiple battery packs (first to eighth battery packs) connected to battery exchange stations 10a, 10b, and 10c. For example, the data plane may be defined as being associated with multiple connection modules 110a to 110h respectively (see...). Figure 2 Data related to multiple battery packs (first to eighth battery packs) is collected and sent to the control plane area.

[0065] According to the implementation, the control plane can be configured to use a communication protocol to identify network paths. For example, the control plane can be implemented in the form of an industrial personal computer (PC) that controls each of the battery swapping stations 10a to 10c and the SDN controller 120 installed in the industrial PC (see [link]). Figure 2 As described above, the SDN controller 120 can use the Open Flow protocol to identify network paths and restrict connections to sensors that are not intended for connection. Here, the sensor can be the same sensor as sensor 111, which is virtualized as a virtual switch (OpenVSwitch), and as described above... Figure 2It operates based on the Linux operating system, as described in the description.

[0066] According to the implementation method, the application plane can be implemented in the form of an application that is linked to cloud server 1 (see [link]). Figure 3 It also provides users with information related to the network system 1000. Furthermore, the application plane can correspond to the layer where users generate commands to send to the control plane.

[0067] In implementations, the application plane can communicate with other software systems, i.e., the control plane, based on interfaces such as the Representational State Transfer Application Interface (REST API).

[0068] Figure 5 This is a view used to illustrate the management system according to the implementation methods disclosed in this document.

[0069] Reference Figure 5 Manage battery exchange station 10 (see Figure 1 The management system 100 may include a connection module 110 and a controller 120.

[0070] As described above, according to an embodiment, the connection module may include at least one sensor (not shown). The sensor may be configured to collect data relating to a battery pack (not shown) connected to the connection module.

[0071] As described above, controller 120 can control battery exchange station 10 (see above). Figure 1 The controller 120 is also responsible for the overall operation of the management system 100. According to embodiments, the controller 120 may be implemented as a device such as an industrial computer that controls the overall operation of the battery exchange station 10, and the controller 120 may be implemented as a software-defined network (SDN) controller (e.g., ONOS).

[0072] Management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention (see Figure 5The battery exchange station 10, including the management system 100, and the network system including the battery exchange station 10, are software-defined networking (SDN) systems, unlike conventional network systems that use hardware devices (e.g., routers or switches) to control network traffic, and can operate under the control of a software-based controller (SDN controller). Therefore, the network system disclosed in this invention can perform communication with the battery exchange station at a lower cost and with fewer resources compared to conventional network systems that require significant resources and costs. Furthermore, since the status of the battery exchange station and the various configurations included in the battery exchange station are provided to the user in association with a cloud server, the battery exchange station can be monitored and / or controlled in real time.

[0073] As stated above, although all components constituting the implementation have been described above as operating as a single unit or in combination, they are not necessarily limited to such an implementation, and all components may be selectively combined into one or more for operation, to the extent appropriate for the purpose. Furthermore, since the terms “comprising,” “configured,” “having,” etc., described above mean that they may include corresponding components unless explicitly stated otherwise, they should be interpreted as including other components rather than excluding them.

[0074] The above description is merely an example illustrating the technical spirit disclosed in this document, and those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the basic characteristics of the implementation methods disclosed in this document.

[0075] Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not intended to limit the technical spirit disclosed herein, but rather to illustrate it, and the scope of the technical spirit disclosed herein is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical spirit disclosed herein should be interpreted by the claims provided below, and all technical spirit within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included within the scope of this document.

[0076] [Description of the symbol]

[0077] 1: Cloud Server

[0078] 10: Battery Exchange Station

[0079] 100: Management System

[0080] 110: Connection Module

[0081] 120: Controller

[0082] 1000: Network System

Claims

1. A battery swapping station (BSS) management system, comprising: A connection module is connected to the battery pack to monitor the status of the battery pack; as well as A software-defined networking (SDN) controller is configured to manage the connection status between the battery pack and the connection module based on data related to the battery pack received from the connection module.

2. The battery swapping station management system according to claim 1, wherein, The SDN controller communicates with the connection module based on the Open Stream Communication protocol.

3. The battery swapping station management system according to claim 1, wherein, The connectivity module includes a sensor that monitors the battery pack based on a Linux operating system. The sensor is configured to be virtualized as a virtual switch (OpenVSwitch) and performs network switching functions between the connectivity module and the SDN controller.

4. The battery swapping station management system according to claim 3, wherein, Based on the connection status between the connection module and the battery pack, the SDN controller can close the connection of the sensor corresponding to the connection module that will be restricted.

5. The battery swapping station management system according to claim 3, wherein, The SDN controller provides data related to the battery pack connected to the connection module to an external server.

6. The battery swapping station management system according to claim 5, wherein, The data relating to the battery pack includes data relating to at least one of the following: whether the battery pack is connected, the number of times the battery pack is charged, the number of times the battery pack is rented, and the state of charge of the battery pack.

7. The battery swapping station management system according to claim 5, wherein, The SDN controller determines the priority of the battery pack to be leased to users based on the data related to the battery pack.

8. A network system, comprising: A management system configured to manage the connection status between a battery swapping station (BSS) and battery packs connected to the BSS; as well as A cloud server, configured to store data related to the battery pack provided by the management system, wherein... The management system includes a software-defined networking (SDN) controller.

9. The network system according to claim 8, wherein, The SDN controller communicates with the connection module that connects the battery exchange station and the battery pack based on the Open Streaming Protocol.

10. The network system according to claim 9, wherein, The connectivity module includes sensors that monitor the battery pack based on a Linux operating system. The sensors are configured to be virtualized as virtual switches (OpenVSwitch) and perform network switching functions between the connectivity module and the controller.

11. The network system according to claim 10, wherein, Based on the connection status between the connection module and the battery pack, the SDN controller closes the connection to the sensor corresponding to the connection module that will be restricted, and provides data related to the battery pack connected to the connection module to the cloud server.

12. The network system according to claim 11, wherein, The data relating to the battery pack includes data relating to at least one of the following: whether the battery pack is connected, the number of times the battery pack is charged, the number of times the battery pack is rented, and the state of charge of the battery pack.

13. The network system according to claim 12, wherein, Data related to the battery pack is provided to the user through an application (APP) linked to the cloud server.

Images